The Wolf of Westminster
by Eve Hawke
Summary: Eleana Hawke has a quandary only a brilliant detective can solve. Fenris and his sidekick Varric are on the case - but is this one mystery that even they can't crack? A crossover fic, placing Fenris and Varric in the roles of Sherlock and Watson. Modern AU setting. Dedicated to the amazingly talented Ekocentric, whose artwork is the cover image for this story!
1. Chapter 1

__A/N: This fic is dedicated to the amazingly talented Ekocentric, who requested a modern AU Sherlock/Fenris crossover.  
___Check out her artwork on DeviantArt! There are several amazing pieces to go with this story!_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Fenris!" Kicking the door shut behind him, Varric hefted the plastic grocery bags, run-walking his way to the kitchen before his arms gave out. Burly he might be, but milk was _heavy_.

"Elf!" Varric bellowed as he set the bags on the kitchen counter. "It ain't staying cold if you don't get _down_ here!"

A clatter on the stairwell was the only response, then Fenris tore into the kitchen a moment later. "You got it?" he demanded, the fragile plastic shredding as he ripped the grocery sacks away.

"Hello to you too. Yes. Seven gallons." Varric plopped onto a kitchen stool, watching with mild interest as his companion rushed through the kitchen.

"You could have called," Fenris said distractedly as he opened cupboards and hunted through drawers.

"I did. Twice." Varric held up his cell phone, giving it a wiggle. "Check your messages, genius."

"_Venhedis." _ Fenris pulled the iPhone from his pocket and tossed it onto the counter with a scowl. "'It just works'. Do you know how many fundamental problems there are with that piece of crap?"

"Uh huh. That was last Monday's lecture. I'd rather not relive the Android versus Apple debate." Varric lifted the lone box of cereal from a bag and stowed it in the pantry, then yelped as ice-cold milk flowed over his sandals. "What the-"

"Move." Fenris shoved him back, then dropped like a cat hunting a mouse, stalking the milk as it traveled across the linoleum. "Put the others in the fridge," he muttered, his focus complete.

"Why do I even hang out with you," Varric grumbled as he pulled his sopping shoe from his foot. Grimacing, he tossed the footwear into the sink before shoving the remaining five gallons into the fridge. But for a stained carton of mu shu pork and a lonely bottle of mustard in the door, the milk was the only thing in the icebox.

"If you need me, I'll be upstairs. Writing my novel," Varric called back as he headed for the staircase.

No response from the kitchen.

"Think about dinner, would you?" Varric yelled, wondering if he needed a shower just to keep his feet from smelling like sour milk. "Pizza is out. So is chinese."

Silence.

Heaving a sigh, Varric turned to walk up the stairs - and stopped dead at the sight of the slim young woman who stood on the top step.

"Mr. Tethras?"

Dark haired, blue-eyed - oh, but she was a dream in leather pants. Varric swallowed.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, brushing a loose lock behind her ear. "I hope I didn't startle you. I knocked, but no one heard me, and... it was open."

"Uh - no problem." Varric managed to grin as he tried to remember if he'd left yesterday's underwear in the bathroom. A quick check to make sure his hands were milk-free, and he held one out. "Varric Tethras."

"Eleana Hawke." She clasped his hand with a shy smile, her eyes flitting downward. "I - I don't suppose Mr. Fenris is in?"

"Ahhh..." Varric stole a glance back at the kitchen. "Sort of?"

Amusement flashed in her wide, crystalline eyes. "Sort of?"

Varric curved an arm around her shoulder as he led her down the hall. "He's got a project he's working on. But if you can wait, I'll let him know you're here."

* * *

The measuring cup wasn't in the dishwasher. Nor was it in the drawer. Fenris finally located the blasted thing in the fifth cupboard, and poured a quarter cup of vinegar.

"Steady hand," he murmured, then arced his wrist, throwing the vinegar into the white puddle. It hardly splashed. A caustic grin stretched his wolfish face as he watched the milk react to the acidic vinegar.

"There's a dame here," Varric's voice sounded at his back.

Glaring, he clamped his mouth shut and stared at the curdling milk. The reaction would tell him much, as long as the temperature had been right.

"Fenris-"

"I _heard_," he growled, studying the milk. "What does she want."

"Same as all the others, I bet. Sob story about some lost trinket. Family heirloom. Needs the Wolf of Westminster to fix her up."

Too slow. Fenris glanced at his watch. "Tell her the wolf is chasing a different quarry right now, and she can take her case elsewhere."

The grin in Varric's voice was insufferable. "I don't think she'll listen, boss."

"You say that as if I care." Scowling to himself, Fenris dropped back down to his knees and put his nose to the milk, drawing in the scent. Already, the odor was there, but it wasn't all that strong. Excellent.

"You might care." Varric sounded positively gleeful now. "I have that feeling."

"Oh, Varric has a feeling," Fenris snapped. "Someone call the papers..." but lifting his eyes dried the ironic words in his mouth.

Simple brown knee-high boots, the toes dipped with black mud. Long legs, sheathed in form-fitting, cream-colored leather. A short jacket, also in cream, worn unzipped over a black cotton top. The neckline was scooped, her skin smooth and even. Graceful neck, dark, straight hair brushing her collarbone.

Eyes like forget-me-nots.

Fenris blinked.

The woman drew her hands up her sides, then offered him a hesitant smile. "I'm sorry to have barged in-" she murmured in a dulcet tone.

"What are you doing out of Lowtown?" Fenris turned back to the milk, ignoring the rapid cadence of his pulse.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, shifting her weight. "Uh -"

"Watch it," he cut her off, feeling impatient. In a moment, she would step in his experiment and it would all be ruined. "What's more, you were running - probably from the police. Awfully dressed up, for a gutter rat."

A squeak of disbelief from the gutter rat. "I beg your pardon!"

"Don't mind him. He's just rude," Varric said quickly. "But I got no idea how he knew about Lowtown."

"The mud. That particular slurry is only found on the docks." Turning back to the milk, Fenris put his nose to it again, then nodded to himself before climbing to his feet. "Varric, do we have any paper towels?"

"Yeah. Paper towels. Sure." Varric cleared his throat, then backed out the door. "I'll just get the mop."

The woman crossed her arms, looking less shy and more irked, now. "So, yes, I'm from Lowtown," she said in a hard voice. "And I suppose you know everything else about me, too?"

One corner of Fenris' mouth turned up at her insolent tone. "I know enough."

"Right. Then tell me why I'm here, if you're so _brilliant_." That hint of a sneer did not insult him; rather, it was just enough to prod him onward.

"For a gutter rat, you're well-spoken," Fenris began, enjoying the thread of annoyance that crossed her face. "And my guess would be that all of this has something to do with the ring on your finger."

Her fist closed at her side, concealing the family crest stamped into the time-aged metal. "Maybe," she muttered.

"Look, Ms. Hawke-"

"I don't let men call me by name who I haven't _introduced_ myself to," she snipped.

"And I don't have time to work with ill-tempered brats." Fenris brushed past her, dismissing her from his mind. Eyes or no, her attitude was more trouble than she was worth. "Let yourself out."

"Wait, please-" The voice faltered, pausing his steps. She sighed, "I'm sorry. I just... it's all true, isn't it?"

Something in the way she said it turned his head. "What?" he asked, unable to help himself. The eyes... never had he seen such eyes. Not in the waking world.

"What they say. The cases you solve. The things you know." She minced toward him, her steps full of hesitation. "The papers make it seem like you're some kind of... sociopathic genius."

"Sociopathic." The word was full of irony. There was a gaping difference between what society perceived the word to mean, and what it actually meant. By literal definition, a sociopath was one who was antisocial, criminal, and lacked a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

Fenris cared. Too much, sometimes. It was why he continually allowed people to walk through his door, disrupt his life, and take advantage of his abilities.

"So... are you?" Her cornflower eyes appraised him, alight with curiosity.

A long moment passed as they looked at each other. "It depends," he returned at last. "What's your definition?"

The smile returned as she held out her hand. "I'm Eleana."

* * *

_They always have a story_, Varric thought as he made mental notes. Fenris' cases always made for interesting page fodder, and seeing the hobby detective in action was good for his muse.

They were in Fenris' study. Varric had claimed one corner of the battered leather couch, and Eleana perched on the other side. Fenris, as always, brooded from his high-back chair, a castoff Varric had found for a song at a yard sale and brought home on a whim. An idle corner of Varric's brain marveled at how little Fenris seemed to mind that his office was a complete mess - papers overflowed on the desk, piles of electronic junk littered the floor, and a few empty green bottles, still stained with crimson Aggregio, waited patiently for someone to cart them off to the rubbish bin.

None of it bothered the lanky elf, who had commented once that if he got rid of _this_ stuff, more would only find its way in. This was his cave, and Fenris had no desire to clean it.

_And yet, he invites clients here,_ Varric marveled. _He's got an image, that's for sure. _Eleana hadn't seemed to mind, though - she'd merely stepped over the broken toaster and edged aside the crumpled wads of newspaper before seating herself.

"So, this jewel was your grandmother's?" Fenris leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as his palms pressed together.

Eleana nodded as she sipped her milk. Aside from tap water, it was all they had to offer her. "It was left behind when my family left Kirkwall, decades ago. I wasn't even born then. Mother wants us to buy the house back, but before we do, the current owners are going to sell everything that's in it." She snorted. "Owners... what a crock. Remember the fire at City Hall a few years ago?"

"The one that destroyed all those records." Varric nodded. "Damn shame, that was. Though I did get out of a few parking tickets."

"Well, the records only started going online last year. As far as Kirkwall is concerned, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and those squatters have been there so long that no one will make them leave. We have to buy it all fair and square." Eleana sighed as she set the empty cup on the low table before them. "Honestly, the jewel might not even be there anymore. Who knows what's been sold for drug money."

"And you can hardly waltz in and demand your grandmother's property." Varric hefted the jug. "More?"

"Thanks, no."

"Why couldn't she?" Fenris' eyes flicked between them. "It's her property."

An incredulous laugh spilled from Eleana's lips, but then she turned to Varric. "Wait. Is he serious?"

"Come on, Broody. A house full of thugs? And then you'll have a new case to solve - which Lowtown degenerate raped a pretty girl and left her for dead. Sorry," Varric threw Eleana a quick glance as she winced, her brows squinching with disgust.

"Look." Eleana fished a newspaper clipping from her pocket. "This was in the Sunday paper." She stood to pass it over.

Fenris' eyes skimmed the square of paper. "Classifieds?"

"They're having an estate sale." Eleana flopped back onto the couch, her ebony head tipping against the cracked cushions. "If the jewel is even still there. It could already be gone. But you understand my problem."

Fenris' white head shook back and forth as he handed the clipping back. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hawke. But breaking and entering is beyond my abilities."

"Oh, come on!" Varric reached for Eleana's hand. "This poor orphan? You're going to deny her her birthright?!"

"Orphan?" Fenris' lips twitched. "Her mother lives."

"Don't mess with my story," Varric hissed. His hands stroked Eleana's as he adopted a pathetic expression. "This sweet, helpless little thing - alone in the world, and all she wants is to hold an old family treasure one more time." One elbow nudged into their visitor's side. Eleana caught on quickly, her own expression diving into despondency. "Any chance your mother is on her deathbed?" Varric muttered.

"Sorry," Eleana whispered back. "Healthy as a horse."

"Damn. We'll have to beg, then." Varric sank to the natty carpet, followed a heartbeat later by an equally dramatic Eleana. Damn, but he liked this one. "Please, Fenris. I brought back seven gallons of milk for you. Seven. You can't repay me with a little B&amp;E?"

"They'd hardly notice it was gone," Eleana hastened to interject, those cerulean eyes big and bright. Her hands fluttered to her heart. "And I'd be in your debt."

"See? Debt, Fenris!" Varric reached up to clasp the girl's chin. "How can you say no to this face?"

Fenris only stared at the pair of them, unmoved by their plea. It was sometimes hard to tell if his mind was processing, or had already rejected something and moved on. Varric was hoping for processing.

"And why haven't you simply gone to the police?" Fenris drawled at last. "Or hired a thug to accompany you to the door? And debt is all fine and good - but how do you propose to pay me, Ms. Hawke?"

"I have money," she said quickly. "What's your fee? I'll pay it." From a pocket within her coat, Eleana pulled a white envelope and thumbed it open.

"Whoa!" A long whistle left Varric's lips as twenties and hundreds flashed. "You married?"

Eleana snickered as she ruffled the cash. "Not a chance, dwarf."

"That's just mean," Varric complained. "I'd be a great gold digger. I'd rub your feet, cook you dinner, bring you seven gallons of milk on a whim..."

"So, you're _his_ bitch is what you're saying?" Another laugh from Eleana, her eyes sparkling as they focused on the green flying through her fingers. "I didn't know you rubbed his feet."

Varric grinned. "I like you."

"Here." Finished with her counting, Eleana slapped the money on the table. "A thousand. I can give you more when the job is done."

Statue-like, Fenris stared at the girl, his eyes hard as emeralds. _What the hell is wrong with him? _Varric wondered for the hundredth time. A thousand simoleons, and the elf simply stared at it?

"Fine," he said at last, leaving the fortune untouched upon the table. "Tonight, then?"

"I'll be there with bells on." With a happy smile, Eleana jumped to her feet and reached for his hand. "I can't thank you enough, Mr. Fenris."

"Skip the bells. We're forcing our way into a manor house." Wry humor twinkled in his mossy eyes as Fenris took her hand. "Until tonight, Ms. Hawke."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Varric plucked the cigar from his lips, tapping a bit of ash into the bowl. "Sevens."

"Raise." Fenris tossed a chip into the center of the table as he considered his hand.

"Any luck at the library?"

"Some." The elf glanced away from his cards. "Your go."

"Hold your horses," Varric grumbled as he thumbed his cards. At last, he muttered, "Call" and tossed his own chip into the pile. Before Fenris could reveal, he flipped four cards onto the table. "Sevens and sixes."

"Over spades." Fenris spread his cards on the table, displaying a winning hand. "Grace."

"But not Wicked," Varric chuckled as he bit down on the miniature stogie. "I'm not out of this yet. Draw."

A smirk danced over the elf's lips as he pulled the top two cards, flipping them over without looking. "Wicked," he stated.

"Damn it!" Varric scowled as he threw his cards on the table. "I never should have introduced you to that marine captain."

Fenris stacked his chips with capable fingers. "She _was_ good at cards."

"Yeah. That's not all she was good at."

The smirk grew into a full-blown grin.

"Speaking of beautiful women with snappy personalities." Varric gathered the cards, shuffling them into a neat rectangle as he tipped his head toward the entrance. Fenris glanced toward the door, his heart stilling as he took in the vision who'd just arrived.

She looked out of place in the Hanged Man's warped doorway, too innocent and beautiful for a bar that catered to the dregs of Kirkwall. Clothed all in black, she'd exchanged her cream colored leather for cotton and spandex. It fit her like a glove, leaving no curve untouched. Even her eyes had been done up to match, shaded with smoky grays and blacks that played up their luminescence. _All she needs is a pair of glowsticks and directions to the nearest rave,_ Fenris thought with amusement.

Not that she wasn't stunning. But Fenris had to wonder if she realized how conspicuous she looked.

A light rain had begun falling outside, kissing her ebony hair with diamond drops. In the firelight, those sky-hued eyes shone, compelling as sin. She glanced around, then brightened when she spotted them at their usual table.

Standing, Fenris gave the girl a nod as she hurried over.

"Mr. Fenris. Mr. Tethras," she said breathlessly.

"Hey there, Sassy," Varric welcomed her. "You strike me as a 'Sassy'. You don't mind, do you?"

"He gives nicknames to everyone," Fenris said in an undertone. "I'm afraid you're stuck with it whether you like it or not."

"I like it." Eleana flashed him a dazzling grin. "What's yours?"

"Broody." Varric clamped the cigar between his teeth as he tucked the deck into his pocket.

Eleana laughed softly, a sparkle in her eyes as she surveyed Fenris' deadpan expression. "It suits you," she murmured.

Fenris made no reply, but one corner of his mouth curved upward.

Varric cleared his throat. "We leaving now?"

"Everything's prepared." Eleana's hands twisted as she darted her eyes between them. "There's something I didn't tell you before, though."

"Does it have something to do with the cat-burglar getup?" Fenris drawled.

Eleana twirled, showing off every glossy angle. "Like it?"

"I refuse to answer on the basis that I might incriminate myself." Varric gave a low whistle as Eleana posed for them. "You're over eighteen, right?"

"Old enough to drink, vote and rent a car," Eleana said dryly. "But I'd never sleep with _you_ anyway." Her eyes darted to Fenris before skipping away once more.

"Cruel woman," Varric sighed, but his eyes were mirthful. "I'll just have to rely on my imagination... and my keyboard."

The idea of Varric penning _anything_ about Eleana was distasteful. Fenris glowered.

"The manse has been taken - the police are seizing it," Eleana went on, oblivious to his fit of pique. "Someone finally realized what a drug den it was. Apparently they got a few apostate mages, too."

"This is good though, right?" Varric asked, settling his hands at the base of his neck. "Makes our job easier if the place is non-ocupado."

"Except they've stationed guards at the front," Eleana continued. "And the doors and windows are boarded up. Which is great news for the sale of the house - with luck, we can pick it up for pennies on the dollar after the place is released from police custody."

"But for now, they're confiscating everything as evidence." Fenris' mind raced ahead. "When was the house seized?"

"Two hours ago," Eleana reported. "The work crews are gone, but the place is sealed up tighter than a drum - except for the tunnels."

"The tunnels?" Varric asked.

"That's what I need to tell you about." Eleana leaned in, her voice quieting. "There's a secret entrance to the house. It's leftover from a hundred years ago, when my family name meant something in Kirkwall and my family needed an emergency escape route. It's in Darktown, though. Pretty nasty area." She shrugged, tucking a loose strand behind her ear as she straightened. "So if you two want to bow out-"

"No," Fenris said quickly.

Varric quirked a grin, then set his cigar in the ashtray on the table.

"I mean... we agreed to help you, Ms. Hawke." Fenris lowered his chin in a respectful nod. "We intend to see it through."

"Not to mention, we could use the cash," Varric quipped.

"And you'll have the payment I promised." Eleana's eyes danced. "Are you ready?"

"And waiting." Varric pulled aside the edge of his overcoat, revealing a custom Beretta 92. "Bianca's feeling frisky tonight."

"Wow..." Eleana's eyes widened, an admiring sigh escaping her as she reached a tentative hand toward the weapon. "That's-"

"Gorgeous? I know." The dwarf smiled as he tucked the gun away again. "Hands off, Sassy. No one touches Bianca but me."

"Aww..." Eleana pouted as Varric stood and stretched. "All I want to do is hold her. Please?"

"And piss her off?" Varric snorted. "Not likely."

"I bet Fenris gets to hold her," Eleana commented as the trio made their way toward the door.

"Broody's not good enough for Bianca," Varric returned.

"Mmm. What he means is, I prefer living, breathing women." Fenris pushed open the door, motioning them out into the dripping night. His umbrella hung from his wrist, hooked there in anticipation of the evening's weather.

Varric ducked out into the black, but Eleana lingered, one slim hand resting on Fenris' arm. Long lashes fluttered as she peered up at him, her eyes deep and inviting. "And I prefer something that won't just go 'bang' and leave me wanting more," she whispered, then slipped away after the dwarf.

* * *

Varric winced as he stepped knee-deep into a puddle of muddy water. Perhaps for Fenris, the muck would have only covered his shin-high boots. But the trouble with being a dwarf was you were the last to know when it rained. Unless, of course, you stepped in it.

"Damned mud," Varric griped, lifting himself out of the miniature lake. "Damned potholes. They never fix them down here, do they?" He glanced at the undercity's ceiling, an unending slab of earth and rock. "Uh... so, hey. No sky down here, is there?"

"Nope." Eleana didn't look back.

"So... no rain? What did I step in?"

"You really don't want me to answer that."

"Aww, sh-"

"Shhh." Fenris cut him off, then signaled them back. Eleana didn't hesitate, but scurried into the nook of a crumbling building. Varric and Fenris crouched in after her, the three forming a tense huddle in the near-darkness.

Eleana's hand clutched the fabric of Fenris' jacket. The elf didn't respond, his green eyes hard as he stared out into the filth of Darktown.

_Even this virginal touch was enough to set him aflame,_ Varric thought, then mentally cursed his lack of a notepad. The chemistry between these two was nothing short of miraculous. Stoic Fenris might be, but he had his tells, and Varric was fascinated by the elf's fascination with their employer. He would simply have to remember the line. Though he doubted Eleana was virginal.

"What is it?" Eleana whispered at last. "Did you hear something?"

"Elf ears," Varric muttered.

"Shhh," Fenris breathed again.

More silence as they waited in the dark, and then Fenris unfolded himself from their hidey hole. "Apologies," he murmured. "My ears were playing tricks on me, it seems."

He reached out, grasping Eleana's hand in his own and helping her up. "Thank you," she murmured, her cheeks pinking.

Unless Varric was very much mistaken, the elf squeezed her fingers before turning away once more.

Stone-faced he might be, but fact was, Fenris was a catch, and it took more than a pretty face to turn his head. Usually the women didn't stick around when they got wind of his eccentricities, but he was easy on the eyes, and there was something about his continual silence that drove them crazy. Like there was no resisting the challenge; they all wanted to pick the lock on his heart, figure out what made him tick.

Something about Eleana had him jumping. Varric cocked his head, trying to see the girl through his friend's eyes. But after a moment he gave up, contenting himself with observing the sway of her hips instead. She hardly noticed, having hurried forward.

So much feminine attention might have made a lesser friend jealous. But between Bianca and his novels, Varric figured that was enough for any man. Asking for more would be greedy. And besides, Fenris was great for plotlines.

"You heard something," Eleana insisted as she claimed the spot at Fenris' side. "Tell us. It could be important."

"Likely just the changing of the guard. Vague shufflings." Fenris threw her a glance. "You're sure this back entrance won't be guarded?"

"It isn't supposed to be," Eleana said.

Fenris cocked a brow. "Eleana," he said slowly. "Why didn't you tell your mother about this outing?"

Eleana sucked in a sharp breath.

"I ask only because I doubt many young women would go out in such clothing _with_ their mother's blessing."

_Unbelievable,_ Varric thought with wonder. _Only _my_ best friend would chastise a gal for wearing her clothes too tight._

"My mother doesn't dictate my wardrobe," Eleana snapped.

"No, that's true. As you said, old enough to drink, vote and rent a car." Fenris hesitated. "She knows of the plan to recover the jewel, doesn't she?"

"Hey," Varric interrupted in a cheery voice. "Fenris, did you always tell your mama everything you did? Lay off. It's probably a surprise. Eleana shows up with the jewel, Mrs. Hawke's a happy lady. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Fenris murmured. "It's admirable, that you care for your mother so much."

"Mm." Eleana flicked a peeved glance at Fenris.

"I apologize if I upset you. You have every right to wear whatever you like. And you look lovely."

The hoarfrost melted a bit. "Thanks," Eleana muttered.

The streets were quiet. Varric stumbled along after them, his legs tiring as he wondered how much further the back entrance could possibly be. _First thing Monday, I need to hit the gym. And lay off the twinkies._

"There." Eleana touched Fenris' arm. "See it?"

She'd led them to a deserted corner of Darktown. The only sign of life was a pair of golden globes that hung from the eastern wall.

"Clever." Fenris strode toward the north wall, his hands running over the sooty bricks. "The catch should be right about... ah." His fingers delved between the blocks.

The wall shifted a few inches, just enough for a lithe body to squeeze past. Fenris went first, his hand lingering in Eleana's as she followed close behind.

For Varric it was more than a squeeze. He sucked in his gut as he shoved himself through the bricked opening.

"Can you get through?" Eleana's anxious whisper came back to him.

"Sure," he gasped, then popped from the opening like a cork from a gun. "No problem," he wheezed.

He could practically hear Eleana's grin from the darkness. "You sure about that?"

"I got through, didn't I? Let's find this thing," Varric grumbled. Bad enough to look awkward. Worse to look awkward in front of a pretty girl. Huffing, he moved his short legs quickly to catch up with the two who'd decided to make his life miserable this evening. _Prose ain't worth this_, he thought.

"Any ideas about where the jewel would be?" Fenris' voice asked.

"Mother said there was a wall-safe in the study." Eleana flitted ahead as Varric's eyes adjusted to the gloom. "Up the stairs. Follow me."

Varric frowned as he trundled behind them. Fenris had taken him out on a number of cases, and the elf usually ended up leading the way, wowing everyone with his feats of deduction and brilliant ideas. Tonight he'd been quiet - meek, almost, willing to follow Eleana as she led them down the primrose path.

It wasn't like him.

"Boss," Varric whispered. "We kosher?"

"Of course. Kosher as Apple." Fenris lobbed Varric a significant look before he turned back to his place behind Eleana.

Varric sucked in a breath as he recalled their banter about Apple versus Android. Steady and slow, he reached for Bianca.

"Here," Eleana squeaked. Her voice shimmered with excitement as they ducked through a low doorway. She danced across the room, lifting a portrait of an ugly woman from the wall and setting it on the floor. A wall-safe was revealed, complete with big black dial. "I even have the combination. Mother gave it to me. Here. Will you open it?"

_Her mother doesn't know about this outing,_ Varric thought. His mind raced back over the evening, trying to see it through Fenris' eyes. Something was going on. But what?

"Eleana..." Fenris murmured. He pulled her away from the safe. "I... before we do this."

"What?" She turned to him, impatient. "What is it?"

Fenris drew a breath. "Just..."

And then Varric's eyes went wide as Fenris dipped inward, his hands clasping around Eleana's back. _Damn_. The elf could kiss, that was certain.

Eleana melted into him, her fingers threading his hair. Fenris' hands were rough and demanding, kneading her waist as he clasped her close.

"Uh... heh. Broody." Varric cleared his throat. "Not that I don't appreciate the show. Really. But... can you two can it for now? Get a room later, maybe?"

It was another few seconds before they parted, and Eleana seemed a bit dizzy afterward. She gave a brief, breathy laugh, then shook her head as Fenris turned to the safe.

Fenris gave Varric a deadpan wink as he twirled the combination, cracked the safe, and opened it up. Eleana squealed as she peered into the safe. "It's all here," she breathed. "Look at it!"

"Get your jewel. It's what we've come for, right?" Fenris' voice held a note of casual warning.

"Here. Hold it for me, would you?" Eleana thrust a small bauble at him, turning back to the safe as she unzipped a pocket on her thigh.

"We should go," Fenris suggested casually. "The jewel was our only goal, after all."

"Yes, but these are my family treasures, Fenris. You can't stop me from taking what's mine." Even in the dim light, a trove of sparkles dripped from her laden fingers, then vanished into her pocket.

Fenris cleared his throat. "Shall we tell that to them?"

Varric swung around, then groaned. Somehow, a group of black-clad gangsters had snuck up on them, and the six guns pointed at them looked like they might just overpower Bianca. Fenris, of course, carried nothing but his umbrella. _Beautiful_, Varric groused to himself. He lifted his hands, keeping his finger clear of Bianca's trigger.

"Anders." Fenris gave a clipped bow to the group's leader. "I hardly expected to see you here this evening."

"Didn't you, though? Funny. I expected you." The rogue mage smiled, a sadistic, twisted movement of his lips.

It wasn't the first time Kirkwall's best amateur detective had come up against the infamous Anders… Varric had teased the elf on multiple occasions about his 'nemesis'. Never before had Varric met him in the flesh, however. _I like him better in the newspapers_, he thought.

"I suppose you'll want the contents of the safe." Fenris lifted his chin at Eleana. "I'm sorry, my dear. We'll have to hand it over, or I expect he'll kill us."

Eleana hesitated, her eyes flying from Anders to Fenris. Then, to Varric's shock, she sidled over to the mage, whose arm circled her waist. To her credit, she had the grace to look like the guilty rat she was. "Sassy..." Varric sighed. "I thought you were better than this."

"Why should she give me any of it, when she was planning to bring it to me all along?" The smirk on Anders' face was unbearable. "Kind of you to take the fall for us, though. The Kirkwall PD will be here in a few minutes. There was no way I was putting my fingerprints on that safe. Thank you for that, Fenris."

The elf said nothing.

"Let's go." Anders turned with his group.

"And what's stopping us from following you out?" Varric challenged. "Not like our feet are frozen or anything."

"True." Anders frowned, then whipped the staff from his back and aimed. A bolt of cold shot from the end, literally _freezing_ their feet in place. The grin on the mage's face was insufferable. "Stay," he snickered. His henchmen laughed as they followed him and Eleana out.

A flicker of cornflower blue glinted in the low light, Eleana's eyes pinched and drawn as she glanced back. Then she was gone, along with Anders and his crew.

Varric threw a useless look at his gun, then sighed and tucked it back into his belt. He might have gotten a shot off at one of their backs, but it hadn't seemed worth the risk. "Now what?"

A banging noise echoed from the front of the house. "Kirkwall PD! Open up!"

"We wait," Fenris said. His air of calm was infuriating. How he could simply...

Varric shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Hope you know what you're doing," he muttered. His feet were beginning to tingle, thawing just enough to attempt a step or two as the city police burst into the study.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

How Fenris could be so easy-minded, Varric had no idea. To look at him, one would think he got arrested all the time.

The elf had yet to protest, struggle or say anything in their defense. He'd followed the officer's instructions to the letter: put his hands behind his head, gotten down on his knees, and let them cuff him like a common criminal. Varric hadn't been quite so cooperative. He'd complained loud and long, promising to murder them all in fiction at a later date.

It might not have been the wisest choice of words. They'd found Bianca in seconds, and his precious lady was now locked up in a cabinet marked "effects", along with their phones, Fenris' umbrella, and $1.43 in change that had been knocking around in Varric's pocket.

Their jail cell was private, at least. No other criminals had seen fit to get themselves arrested tonight. _Not yet, anyway,_ Varric reminded himself. It wasn't even 10pm yet.

They'd been locked up over an hour, with not a soul appearing to offer them a phone call or a glass of water. And Varric was thirsty.

Puffing his cheeks, he glanced at the elf, who continued to sit in quiet repose. "You sure pick 'em, Broody," he muttered.

"I made a phone call this afternoon that you might be interested in," Fenris responded. "To a Chief Vallen. New to the district, but I've heard excellent things."

Craning his neck, Varric squinted at the nameplate on the desk. "Chief Vallen, huh? So, this guy knows we were double crossed? And speaking of, how did _you_ know we were going to be double crossed?"

A faint smirk danced across Fenris' lips. Varric frowned, about to ask just what was so funny, when a uniformed dame entered the room. She was hard, all frozen angles and stony edges. Appropriate for a law-woman. Red hair was braided into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, the loose strands held back with a slim headband.

"Chief Vallen." Fenris rose with an easy grace that Varric could never hope to duplicate. "I've been expecting you."

_Chief Vallen? _This broad? Varric cleared his throat, hoping the surprise he felt wasn't obvious on his face.

It didn't matter. The dame didn't even look at him. She crossed her arms, leaning against the desk with casual distaste. "I didn't know what to think earlier when we spoke. You said you wanted a meeting, but I hardly expected you to get arrested to have it."

As though she had welcomed him with a smile, Fenris plowed on. "You have read the reports, I'm sure? Your men have relayed all the details of how we got here?"

"I know you were caught breaking into the old Amell mansion."

"You may be interested in something on my cell phone. A recording I captured just before your officers arrived. If you would be so kind?" Fenris lifted his chin at the locked cabinet.

The chief gave him a hard stare, then unfolded her arms and circled the desk. "I've heard of you. You helped the viscount a time or two. The incident with those foreigners."

"The qunari." Fenris dipped his head in acknowledgement. "It was a simple misunderstanding. I was glad to translate."

"You did more than translate. You tracked down their book, prevented an international incident. I read the report." The padlock key clicked as it freed the tumblers. "Obviously, you've been valuable to the city. It's the only reason I'm humoring you now. I don't take kindly to nonsense."

"Neither do I, ma'am."

Varric snorted, recalling the milk splashed all over the kitchen floor.

Chief Vallen held up two phones, the question in her eyes.

"The one in the black case, please." Fenris reached through the bars.

"Hands to yourself. Where is the recording?"

Clearly, there was no way she was letting Fenris touch anything. The elf's mouth twitched in amusement, but he made no protest, only lowered his hand and instructed her on which app to access. Curiosity spiked through Varric as his friend's implication sank in. A recording? When had he done _that_?

The gal set the phone on the desk, then leaned back again as she tapped the screen.

Muffled noises sounded through the phone's speaker, then Eleana's voice. _"You heard something." _

_"Likely just the changing of the guard. Vague shufflings." _A short pause._ "You're sure this back entrance won't be guarded?"_

_"It isn't supposed to be."_

_"Eleana, why didn't you tell your mother about this outing?"_

Varric listened, dumbstruck that Fenris had managed to capture audio proof of their innocence. It was fun, watching the chief's face morph from tolerance to amazement to outright anger.

"You can stop it now," Fenris said eventually. "Unless you wish to hear us being arrested. I suppose you could always assess your subordinates' work? Give them a peer review?"

The chief tapped the screen once more, shutting off the tape. From the expression on her face, they weren't out of the woods yet. "Fill in the blanks for me. So far, all I know is that Kirkwall's most dangerous criminal interrupted your simple B&amp;E, and left you to be arrested for it."

"Eleana Hawke hired us to do a job," Fenris said. "She told us she was afraid that when the Amell mansion went for public auction, she would lose the chance to get back an old family treasure. She wanted an escort. Someone to accompany her, to help her stay safe. But what I couldn't understand was, why she was coming to _me_."

"She came to you because you're the best," Varric protested.

"The best at what, Varric?" Fenris flicked him a glance. "She needed a protector, not a detective. You said it yourself. She needed to be kept safe from lowtown thugs who would rape a pretty girl. And while I do have certain...skills..." His lip curled as he said the words.

Varric winced, remembering the white scars that dappled the elf's body. Scars put there by mages. Scars that gave Fenris the ability to tear a man's still-beating heart from his chest...when he got angry enough. For the first time, Varric realized that there might be a reason why Fenris toed the line of pacifism. Why he never accompanied Varric to the shooting range. Why he carried nothing but an umbrella.

After his bloody history, the way he'd fought to bring himself under such tightly-held control...it was all too easy to understand.

Fenris cleared his throat, his expression settling into calm once more. "I am not a bodyguard. So, something else must have brought her to my door. I spent the afternoon in research." Once again, he lifted his chin at the cabinet. "The sheaf of papers, please."

The chief complied, retrieving a bundle of folded papers from the lockup. She unfolded them, hesitated, then passed them to Fenris.

"Who she was, I knew. The ring on her finger told me she was of the Hawke bloodline. But Hawke is a Fereldan name, not Marcher. So I went digging." Fenris lifted the first sheet, displaying it for all to see. "A social announcement from a few decades ago. The marriage of Leandra Amell to Malcolm Hawke, but not here. In Ferelden. This announcement was posted in the Kirkwall Times by her parents." The papers shifted. "The birth of a baby girl, Eleana." The next page. "A pair of twins, Bethany and Carver." One more page flip. "The death of Malcolm, ten years ago...at the hands of the templars. Malcolm was a rogue mage."

Varric's breath caught. Sassy, related to a mage? Was that why she'd taken up with Anders?

Fenris continued arranging the papers. "According to the postal service, Eleana and her family stopped receiving mail in Ferelden ten years ago. As Leandra had family here, it only makes sense that they would return to Kirkwall after their family tragedy. But I could find no records of any forwarding addresses. Leandra's parents died fifteen years ago, and their mansion fell into disrepair. Leandra did not take her old family property back. So, where were they living?"

"The mud on her boots," Varric recalled. "Lowtown. The squatter sector. Yikes."

Fenris gave a single nod. "This next bit, you will have to follow me through." He held up another copy, this one a front-page article about the dissolution of the Red Iron gang. "Varric, who is that? Hunched in the back."

Varric squinted at the paper, which had copied imperfectly. "Maker's tits. Sassy?"

"Our own Eleana." Fenris passed the copy to Vallen, who peered at it. "The article is from eighteen months ago, before you arrived in Kirkwall, Chief Vallen. That was when the gang was finally apprehended and broken up."

"Nasty business it was," she commented. "I heard about the Red Iron, even from my post in Ferelden. Three dead, six arrested. I recall her name, now that I see this."

"Read the names of the dead, if you please."

She turned her eyes down again. "Gorvin Masters, Carver Hawke, and Remy Sholl."

"Hawke," Varric blurted. "Carver? Wasn't that-"

"One of the twins. Her brother. Younger." The corner of Fenris' mouth tugged sideways. "Killed in the heist that sent Eleana herself to prison for half a year. So, then I wondered, where was Bethany? Eleana and Carver had turned to crime. What of the younger sister?"

Varric sank down on the bench, his head spinning.

"On a hunch, and recalling that Malcolm had been a mage, I researched the intake records at the Gallows, Kinloch Hold, and White Spire."

"The mage academies? Of course. Damn!" Varric shook his head, amazed. "So where is she?"

"White Spire, in Orlais. And tuition does not come cheap."

Chief Vallen cleared her throat. "This is truly fascinating. But what does it have to do with Anders?"

"Everything." Fenris handed the papers back through the bars. "I made a discreet inquiry at a...money-handler's shop near Lowtown."

"The Check-n-Loan joint? You went in that craphole with nothing but your umbrella?" Varric whistled.

Fenris ignored him, though his jaw tightened. "Eleana would have needed a way to send money to Bethany. I convinced the shop owner to show me his records, and I had all the answers I needed. Ms. Hawke has been sending every spare penny to her sister for years. The Red Iron was clearly funding her, but being in prison for six months meant the bills were piling up. She needed a big infusion of cash, and she needed it fast.

"This is where my intuition is filling in the gaps. Until I speak with Leandra Hawke, I cannot say for certain, but my hunch is that Leandra told Eleana of the safe and its contents. However...the old Amell house was under Anders' control, which made getting to the safe difficult."

"How do you know Anders has control of the house?" Chief Vallen furrowed her brow. "As far as I know, it's just an abandoned dump."

"An umbrella corporation purchased the property twelve years back, actually. Manifesto, Inc. I've been tracking them for years. They're not flashy, but they move in specific ways. I never realized the mansion had been bought by them; the sale was so quiet. Apparently, Leandra's brother sold the house after their parents' death."

"No wonder it's been allowed to turn into a piece of shit. Anders wanted the place left alone... He probably would have done better to keep it up. I bet the HOA charges them ridiculous fines," Varric commented.

"Why would he bother keeping it up? He can't live there himself. He needed a location more than he needed a social presence. And as powerful as he seems, his coffers may be as empty as Eleana's. Keeping up a property like that would be last on his list of priorities."

Varric shrugged. Put like that, it made sense.

"So, back to my intuition. Eleana knew of the safe. She went to Anders, struck a deal. And Anders, being Anders, set his own terms." Fenris' gaze slid from Chief Vallen to Varric.

"Which included putting you in prison, I guess." Varric gave a slow nod. "Son of a bitch. That mage hates your guts."

"The feeling is mutual," Fenris deadpanned.

Varric snorted. "I'm starting to hate him myself. You asked why would Eleana come to you for protection? This is why. She agreed to set you up! Bitch!"

The same humorous quirk showed at the corner of Fenris' mouth, though now it was touched with sadness. "No, Varric. Just a desperate woman who felt she'd run out of options. And now, Chief Vallen, if you will activate the target icon on my phone?"

The chief started, then tapped Fenris' screen once more. A silvery _ping_ echoed from the phone's speaker. "What is this?" the chief demanded.

"A simple app I created, linked to the tracking device I planted on Eleana when I kissed her. If you'll be so kind as to unlock our cell, we can follow it right to Anders' hideout."

The chief glared at him, her arms crossing. "Why should I-"

"Because Anders' hideout is bound to be trapped in a number of ways. It would be criminal of me to send you in unprepared. Best I come with you."

"Come on, Red." Varric gave her a grin. "We're not such bad guys. Really, we can be a lot of fun."

_The chief's eyes gave nothing away, tight as a miser in Midwinter. Hmm. Maybe. Tight isn't quite the right word. Wry. Suspicious. Ungenerous. Is ungenerous a word? I'll have to check the thesaurus,_ Varric mused. Truly, she looked like a hell of a lady. _Police chief, to boot. Her credentials must be outta this world. Wonder if there's a Mr. Chief Vallen._

At last, she sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Very well. But you both get GPS anklets until we return to the station. Hopefully with Anders in custody."

"Works for me. Fenris?"

"More than generous."

The chief gave them a stiff nod. The radio at her belt beeped twice, and she lifted it to her mouth, issuing a stream of official-sounding orders as she strode out.

"Wow. So... wow." Varric shook his head as Fenris lowered himself to the bench at his side. "You figured all of that out in an afternoon."

"Most of it in the first hour," Fenris murmured, cracking his neck and closing his eyes. "It isn't so hard if you know where to look."

"How come you went for it? If you knew it was a setup, why'd we walk right into it?"

"Consider Eleana's position. Assume we did not arrive at the manse tonight. What would have happened to her?"

Varric gave a short laugh. "Point." He palmed his tired eyelids, then tilted his head toward his partner. "You like her, don't you."

No answer from the broody elf. But that was okay. Varric had learned not to push his eloquent friend. Some things were too obvious to ignore, and the way Fenris' face had softened when Varric had dropped the word _bitch_ was a dead giveaway. "Is Anders gonna give us trouble?"

Fenris didn't answer right away, his eyes in his lap. "Let us hope not," he said softly.

* * *

The anklet was a minor annoyance; ill-fitted and awkward, but a small price to pay for Chief Vallen's endorsement. Besides, if all went well, it would be removed within a few hours.

Fenris had been unable to talk the chief out of bringing a small crew of reinforcements. Less was more in this case, but she'd been most insistent. With luck, it wouldn't blow the entire operation.

_'Blow' perhaps being the worst possible choice of words,_ he thought grimly_._ Given Anders' history...well, Fenris had dark suspicions, ones he wasn't quite ready to tell the others about. No use in alarming them for nothing.

At his direction, the chief had turned the sound off on his phone, but the icon continued to pulse red, directing them toward Eleana. It only made sense that finding Eleana would mean finding Anders.

At least, that was the theory.

It was the only wrinkle in his plan. It was possible that Eleana had gone home after leaving the Amell mansion; that Anders had waved merrily to her and told her to clock back in at eight the next morning. It could be that the only thing they would find was Eleana and her mother, eating canned soup and watching pirated episodes of Downton Abbey.

Fenris grimaced. If they didn't find Anders, not only would he have egg on his face, but the ankle cuff would stay on - right up to the moment the chief locked them back up in the city cell. Varric would be none too pleased.

But worrying over it solved nothing. He would know either way in a few minutes.

Despite this excellent logic, the worrying kept on, like a mosquito buzzing in his ear. Eleana... All he could think of was their final few moments before Anders had appeared. Her wit, her intelligence, her smile, the gleam of her wicked eyes. The sweet way her body had meshed with his, fitted as well as partnered puzzle pieces. The scent of her skin, intoxicating as a '63 Aggregio. Her lips...

Oh, but her lips.

And then, the way she'd folded herself into Anders' embrace, like a punch in the gut. The way the criminal's arm had fit around her, like that was where it belonged. Only minutes before, Fenris had been kissing her, and then she'd skipped blithely into the hands of another man.

He swallowed, feeling a bit sick.

"There?" Chief Vallen's voice said. "Are you sure this is right? We've searched Darktown before. This is just an abandoned medical clinic. There shouldn't be anything else here."

Fenris blinked, returning to the present. The pair of golden lights on the eastern wall...he'd been here before. A few hours ago, in fact. "Oh really," he murmured, intrigued by Anders' choice. It was doubtful that this was Eleana's home...if the chief spoke truly, and why wouldn't she? then there were regular police sweeps of the area. Squatters would never choose a place that was well attended by the law. Therefore...

A victorious smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"Boss," Varris said in a low tone. "You got that grin again. This it?"

"We'll find out," Fenris replied softly. The place looked boarded up, as though it hadn't been disturbed in years. "Chief Vallen, there are regular patrols that come through here?"

"Twice nightly."

Fenris peered at the opening, then frowned and dug into his pocket.

"Whatcha lookin' for, boss?"

"Phone," he said absently. The dratted thing was buzzing. But to his surprise, the chief held out his device, a puzzled look on her face. He'd forgotten, he'd given it to her to carry.

Something else was buzzing.

Brow furrowed, Fenris finally extracted the vibrating item - the treasure Eleana had handed him after he'd opened the safe. Nothing but a small, flat, red jewel, or so he'd thought when she'd thrust it at him. It had secreted itself into a corner of his pocket, and apparently evaded the metal-detector wands the police had used on him.

But red jewels didn't buzz. Or flash.

"What is-" Chief Vallen began.

"Oh, _fuck_," Varric cut her off.

Fenris' eyes widened as he realized what had been done. "Back," he snarled, his frantic gaze sweeping the area. "Varric, sewer hole!"

"There." The dwarf pointed. "Throw!"

The jewel was out of his fingers in less than a heartbeat, clattering against the sides of the manhole as it shot down into the city's innards.

"_What_ is the meaning of this?" the chief demanded. "Fenris-"

A muted _boom_ shook the ground beneath their feet.

Fenris' cleared his throat, then straightened his tie, his stomach churning at what had almost happened. "Apologies."

"Maker's breath." The chief's eyes had gone wide as saucers. "What the bloody hell?"

"Eleana gave it to me right before Anders and his men showed up. I forgot about it; I assumed it got taken out of my pockets with everything else. I must have missed it."

Vallen's eyebrows lowered in a dark scowl. "If that had gone off at the station..."

"Yes. Well. We're all familiar with Anders and his eternal love of chaos." It hardly bore thinking about. No matter where the bomb had ended up - in his pocket, in the evidence locker, confiscated by one of the officers - the results would have been disastrous. As it was, Fenris hoped no one had been in the sewers. In Darktown, it was an even chance.

"Now. As we were saying." Ignoring his shaken mindframe, Fenris strode toward the door and placed his hand on a darkened section of wood. This few inches had a different look than the rest of the door; a little smoother, the grain a bit stained. Almost as if it had been touched over and over and over again.

But instead of the door opening as he'd expected, nothing happened.

Varric coughed.

Fenris' mind raced. How could it not work? There was nothing else. This was the anomaly, the only thing that seemed out of place. Easy to miss. So how...

"_Venhedis_," he whispered. Of course.

Closing his eyes, he pressed the wood harder, then grimaced as magic flared through his veins. Oh, how he hated the feel of it. Like molten liquid, it burned as it poured through his skin and coursed over every nerve. He was being set on fire from within, roasted like a holiday turkey...all because of a mage's cruelty. _Don't think of it_, he told himself savagely.

An audible gasp sounded behind him, followed by Varric's reassuring muttering. Fenris ignored it, concentrating on keeping the devilry alive long enough to activate the entrance. Anders would need a door only he could open, whether he was hurt, starving, or under any other condition.

The simple detection of magic, then. It should be enough.

A change shimmered over the air. Letting go a deep breath, Fenris pulled his hand away and opened his eyes - to see that the door was still there.

"Aww, come on!" Varric shouted. "Maker's bleeding ass, what the hell do we have to do to get into this shithole?" Before Fenris could stop him, he'd scooped a rock from the ground and hurled it at the door.

But instead of the _thunk_ of stone colliding with wood, the rock sailed through the entryway, vanishing behind the wooden beams.

_Illusion!_ "Thank you, Varric." Fenris threw him a grin, then gestured for everyone to follow. "I will lead. Cautiously, please. And quietly." Without looking back, he made his way through the door. Confidence was once again his. He'd found Anders' hideout, figured out how to get in, and foiled the mage's attempt to blow him to bits.

But the fact that Eleana had been the one to hand him the bomb continued to gnaw at his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

So far, Anders' hideout - if this dump was actually his hideout - wasn't much to look at.

What passed for an exam table sat toppled in the center of the room, one of its legs missing. A bent metal cabinet stood in one corner, its doors rusting off the hinges. It looked like it might have been a respectable building once, but time and neglect had had its dingy way with the space.

Varric's eyes darted from corner to corner, his body tense and his fingers itching for Bianca's trigger. Nothing was quite so soothing as the touch of that warmed metal against his skin. Unfortunately, his lady was back at the police station, and he was defenseless.

Except for the three other police officers, of course. They had guns. But the wide-eyed innocence all over their faces didn't do much to raise his confidence. _Yokels_, he thought.

Fenris gestured for everyone to stay put as he crept through the room. Varric glanced at the others, wondering if they planned on playing nice. Chief Vallen looked like she'd swallowed a lemon. _Can't be easy letting someone else be in charge,_ Varric thought.

The lanky elf peered around a corner, then gestured for them to come closer. Holding his breath, Varric shuffled after them. But nothing was there to greet them, only a tiny, dark nook that led to nowhere. Graffiti'd into one wall was a smattering of letters; Varric caught "Tr" and the number "1", but the rest of the figures were so smeary as to be unreadable.

"There oughta be something," Varric whispered, the silence getting to him. "We shoulda been met by, what? Some goons at least?"

Fenris cocked a brow at him. "Goons?"

"Look, I've read plenty of these stories. Don't the bad guys usually hire henchmen?"

"There's nothing here," Chief Vallen complained.

"The beacon led us here," Fenris spoke over her. "Therefore, this is a valid location. We get nowhere by fighting with each other." He pointed toward the front corner of the room, then waved, as though he was greeting someone.

Squinting, Varric peered at the corner in question. It was dark, almost impossible to notice, but then he saw it - a tiny black orb, like the ones that covered cameras in shops. "Hey, Anders." Grinning, Varric turned toward the camera and spread his hands. "Why don't you just come out and say hi?"

"It benefits him nothing to come out," Fenris replied, ducking back into the nook as he did so. "However, that hardly matters, because we're about to go _in_."

A sudden _whoosh_ sounded from the nook. Varric hightailed it after the coppers, who had shoved past him to follow Fenris through the wall. _A moving panel_, Varric marveled. _Fits the evil-supergenius-lair thing I guess. A bit predictable though. How'd Broody find the way through?_

He never found out. Skidding through the door, Varric nearly plowed into the officer in front of him, who had stopped dead.

The room was cavernous, and looked as though it had been dug from the underside of the city itself. A few industrial metal shelves were scattered throughout the space, along with various sacks, barrels and crates. And suspended from the ceiling was a girl's body.

Varric's heart jumped into his throat. _Eleana_, he thought - but no. It wasn't Sassy, just a dark-haired girl with the same piercing blue eyes. A thick rope was wrapped around her neck, but to Varric's shock, she wasn't dead, or even struggling. Rather, she looked like she was standing on an invisible platform, though her expression was anything but easy. Her hands were bound, and her mouth had been gagged.

"How kind of you to join us," Anders' voice boomed through the room. Varric winced as the warped sound shot through his eardrums. "Hold still, would you?"

From the back of the cavern, gunshots sounded.

"Hit the deck!" Varric dove for the chief, taking her down in an awkward tumble. The other officers fell flat around them, but Fenris took off running, ending his mad sprint behind a pile of crates a few seconds later. The gunshots ceased after a few more deafening seconds, leaving them all panting and panicked.

"Police, Anders!" Chief Vallen shouted into the loud silence. "Show yourself!"

"Oh, that's adorable," Anders' voice cooed. "Why do you always start with inane demands? Does anyone _ever_ listen?"

"Because it gives us the chance to shoot you if you resist," the chief returned. "Nice and legal."

"Tut tut," Anders scolded. The speakers were overblown, the cones vibrating and skewing his voice until it was more electronic than human. "I might have to send this video to Youtube. We'll make you go viral. Police brutality, Aveline! Willing to risk your career on it?"

The chief shoved Varric away, her face dark as a thunderhead. "Cullen," she spat. "Take away his magic."

One of the officers stretched out a hand, his eyes closing in concentration. _Templar-trained_, Varric realized. Well, it only made sense, when going after a dangerous mage. It was lucky that the chief had one in her ranks.

"No! Stop!" Fenris jumped out from the crates, his frantic eyes on the hovering girl. "Don't cleanse the room!"

Anders' derisive laugh came from everywhere. "Clever, Fenris. Negate my magic, and she drops like a stone. That isn't plexiglass she's standing on."

"You'd do that to a fellow mage?" Fenris called. "Not very sporting of you." He turned toward Varric's group, his green eyes bright and intense. They flicked toward the north wall, then away as he turned in a slow circle.

"Leverage, my friend." Anders' voice was almost merry. "Sometimes, bargaining chips are necessary. You've discovered my hideout. Lovely little place, no?"

Fenris' eyes flicked to the north wall once more, his eyes like firebrands. Varric frowned, shaking his head - and then realized. Fenris knew where Anders was. He was keeping the mage busy. Now it was up to Varric to figure out where the criminal had squirreled himself. "Over there," he whispered. "Something. Come on."

"We both know that she's secondary." Fenris put up his hands. "Take me instead. Let her go, and I'll stay."

"Really." Anders seemed fascinated by this. "You'd give yourself in exchange?"

"Bethany has nothing to do with it."

Varric's head snapped toward the floating female once more. Dark hair, blue eyes - of course! He shook his head, annoyed at himself for not seeing it.

"Lower her down," Fenris continued, his voice calm and even. "I'll take her place."

"Will you. Hmm... The great Fenris, dangling from a noose. How delicious. Eleana? What do you think?"

Varric forced himself to stay focused on the task at hand, not look over at Fenris. There was something here that the elf needed them to see. Something that would lead to Anders. He scanned the area, cudgeling his brain to work at least one tenth as well as Fenris'.

"Me?" Sassy's voice sounded amused. "Don't ask me. I'm nothing but a grunt."

"Ah, no, my dear. You are the pivot point," Anders said.

There was nothing to see. No loose panels, no hidden latches, nothing. A blank wall. Varric directed his own pointed stare at Fenris, and shrugged his shoulders. But the elf did not look over. His eyes were only for Eleana.

* * *

Fenris' traitorous heart thumped at the sight of her. Smooth as water, she appeared from the blackness at the back of the cavern, sleek and sinful as a cat. An easy smirk turned up the corners of her mouth, but... there was a tightness. A tension behind her eyes. It said much.

Fenris removed his overcoat and scarf, folding them neatly and laying them on the ground. "Have Eleana tie me up. I assume you have a way of getting me up there?"

"All in good time. You heard the man," Anders said. "Tie him up, darling."

The endearment twisted in Fenris' gut. He kept his eyes on Eleana, noting every muscle, every glance, every gesture.

She kept her eyes down, her movements quick and efficient as she bound his wrists behind his back. "You must have a plan," she whispered, her voice soft as air.

Fenris struggled to keep his breathing steady as his pulse took off. This could mean everything, or be just another layer of deception. _Assume nothing_, he told himself. _Except of course that Anders can hear every word we say._

Her sapphire eyes pleaded as she reached for another length of rope.

He could not risk a wink. But a mere twitch...

It was enough. The fear in her gaze became a joyful sparkle. A noose formed in her hands. "Go on," she whispered as she leaned in. "Impress a girl."

Fenris looked toward the camera as Eleana slipped the noose around his neck. "Come out, Anders. Don't lose this chance to see me hanged. Your video might not catch all the gory details."

"Perhaps. Tell your lackeys to stop poking around."

At last, Fenris looked openly at Varric. The dwarf had been trying to signal him for the last minute. He clenched his jaw in frustration. "I'm afraid he has us," he told them. "I suppose you want everyone to stay, Anders? Or can the police go, since this has become a private matter?"

"We're not going anywhere," Chief Vallen swore.

"Excellent!" Anders cried. "I love an audience." From the ground beneath their feet, a jungle sprang up. Varric yelped as the vines twined around him, holding the four of them captive. "Guns, please. Merrill?"

A sprite of a girl slipped out of the shadows. She minced across the floor, her eyes big and scared as she collected the officers' weapons. "I'm awfully sorry about this," she murmured, her fingers going to Cullen's neck. The templar stiffened, then slumped. "None of the rest of you are templars, are you?" she asked.

From the ceiling came a mechanical rumble, then the rock itself shifted. A slab of stone began to drop with engineered control. Anders' laugh echoed throughout the cavern, but this time, the mage was there in the flesh.

"What's his game? He won't be able to come back here after this," Fenris heard the chief say to Varric. "We know where his hideout is now."

"Doesn't bode well for us surviving this little shindig, does it?" the dwarf muttered in return. "You shoulda stayed home today, Chief."

The platform continued its slow journey downward until it rested on the floor. "Fun, no?" Anders asked brightly as he hopped off the rock. "Eleana fixed it up for me. Quite the brain for all things with wires. Such a blessing, here in our underground haven. She's worth her weight in gold." He snapped his fingers. "Bring him."

Eleana clasped Fenris' arms and pushed him forward, walking with him onto Anders' stone platform. A push of a button, and they were rising once more. "Handy, isn't it? I suppose I could have levitated you up there, but..." Anders let the sentence trail, then shrugged.

"But you're exhausted?" Fenris suggested. "But you only have just enough magic left to pull off whatever your grand plan is?"

Anders curled his lip. "Gag him."

"Um, I don't have anything to gag him with," Eleana said.

Anders' eyes flashed. "Seriously? Andraste's knickerweasels." From his neck he took a scarf, which he thrust at Eleana. "Now gag him. Quickly."

The scarf was tied loosely around Fenris' mouth, though the knot felt solid enough at the nape of his neck. Woolen fibers ran roughshod over his tongue.

He was prodded out onto the invisible platform, his nerves twanging as Eleana tossed his rope upward. Anders gestured, and Fenris watched as the rope secured itself around a solid beam. Bethany's eyes were wide and scared.

"After you." Anders waved Eleana back to the stone platform.

"Not til I untie my sister." She reached for Bethany, but Anders snagged her arm.

"All in good time, precious."

"You said-"

"I lied. Merrill?"

Eleana shrieked as Anders flung her from the platform. Every muscle in Fenris' body tensed as Eleana twisted in the air, helpless - and then her descent halted, as though she'd been caught by a cloud. She drifted downward, her feet touching earth seconds later. Anders remained on the stone platform, and gave her a saucy wave.

"You promised!" Eleana screamed at the mage. "You swore she'd be safe!"

"And she will be. That is, if the Wolf of Westminster has a plan. And he always has a plan, doesn't he?" Anders turned to Fenris, a slow, sadistic smile lifting his cheeks. "You know just how you're going to escape."

Fenris could not respond through the mouthful of yarn. But he did give Anders what he hoped was a dark, dark look.

"Nothing clever to say?" Anders chuckled, then reached forward and yanked down the scarf. "Well? How about now?"

Now or never. The templar was out cold, but Fenris doubted he would get another chance to speak. "Cleanse it!" he yelled.

* * *

Varric watched, dumbstruck, as Anders shoved the scarf back into Fenris' mouth, then stomped onto the platform and thumbed the button. The rock began lifting into the ceiling once more, then came to a shuddering halt. Anders snarled, his eyes full of lightning. "Eleana!" the mage roared.

The vines were cutting off his circulation. Varric wriggled toward the templar, struggling against the savage greenery. "We gotta wake him," he said. "Help me." _Cleanse it? But they'll drop. Both of them. He didn't want it done while Bethany was up there. Why now? _Shaking his head, Varric knew he could do nothing but trust. "C'mon, Cullen," he said as he bumped his head into the templar's shoulder. "Up. You're needed."

Anders was still bellowing. "Hawke! What did you do?"

But Eleana was too busy to answer. She had the little elf Merrill in a death-grapple, the two of them wrestling like prize contenders on mud night. "Cullen," Varric said again. "Come on!"

With a mighty wrench and grunt, the chief loosed one hand from the vines. "Cullen!" That hand snaked out to cut across Cullen's cheek, spinning his lolling head. "Wake yourself or so help me I'll put you back on nights!"

The templar had already begun stirring, even before her threat. He blinked unfocused eyes. "Wha?"

"Cleanse the room!" Varric and Aveline shouted together.

Varric had to hand it to him. Not many men could have performed so instantaneously while barely awake. Cullen's hand shot out, and a wave of energy blasted through the room, buffeting them like a warm breeze. The vines withered, snapping and crumbling to dust.

And Fenris and Bethany fell.

Varric's heart jumped into his throat - but - "What the hell?"

Fenris was _not_ dangling by his neck. Somehow he had slipped free, and now had the noose in one hand, holding it like a normal rope. His other arm was wrapped around a struggling Bethany. _You're dragging her down!_ Varric's mind screamed. But - he began to grin, then to laugh. Wrong again. Fenris was holding her up!

"Varric! Gun!" Fenris shouted as Bethany gasped for air. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't doing great with the tautened rope around her neck.

"Bethy!" Eleana paused in her pummelling of Merrill to scream her sister's name.

"Oh, shit!" Coming back to himself, Varric scrambled toward the catfight and scooped up one of the confiscated firearms. It wasn't Bianca, but it would do. He sighted, aimed, then fired.

Anders began to laugh in disbelief as he spread his hands before his body. The mage had been dashing about on the platform, and now had stopped to ridicule Varric's apparent lack of gun skill. "You missed!" he crowed.

"Did I?" Varric tipped his head toward Bethany with a slow grin.

Anders whipped around, then made a noise like a dying cat. Bethany clung to Fenris, no longer held up by her rope - because Varric had shot clean through it.

"Eleana!" Fenris called. "Catch her!"

"One sec!" With a bone-crunching _pow_, Eleana drove her fist into Merrill's nose. The elf toppled as Eleana stood and opened her arms, collapsing beneath her sister's body a heartbeat later.

The coppers were there in seconds, lifting Merrill up and cuffing her, assisting Bethany and Eleana. Varric hardly noticed them taking Eleana into custody as well; his eyes were on Fenris, who had begun swinging like a trapeze artist.

Anders saw it coming. He backed to the edge of the platform, his eyes wide as one hand groped for the button, clearly hoping for a miracle.

He got one.

"Fucking _no_," Eleana swore as the platform shivered and began to rise. "I thought I disabled it! He should have been trapped!"

Fenris let go the rope, landing on the platform a heartbeat before it rose too high. Anders' howl of frustration echoed through the rock, then silenced as the platform locked itself into the ceiling once more.

"Well, he isn't trapped," the chief said in an icy voice. "Cullen, Donnic, take them back to the station. I'm going after Anders."

Brave words. Impractical, but brave. "And just how do you intend to do that?" Varric asked.

"Lower the platform," the chief said to Eleana. "Do it now."

"I'm cuffed," Eleana snapped.

"Sassy, don't," Varric warned.

Like a sullen child, she flicked him a moody glance, then lifted her chin toward the north wall. "Press the wall."

"Oh for the love of - that's it? Press the Maker-damned wall?" Scowling, Varric stomped toward the wall and leaned his weight on it. Sure enough, the platform came down from the ceiling again.

Empty.

"Damn it!" The chief marched to the center of the floor and picked up her gun. "Don't just stand there," she shouted at her men as the platform continued to descend. "Take them back to the station!"

"Press the wall, she says. Press the mother-loving wall." Varric muttered to himself as he raked one hand back through his thinning hair. "I looked at this stupid wall. How the fuck did he know that?"

Eleana's mouth twitched as her eyes canted upward.

Varric spun, following her gaze to a bit of graffiti about ten feet up. "Trans 1:2," he read in puzzlement. "What?"

"Transfigurations, 1:2," Eleana clarified. "_Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. Foul and corrupt are they who have taken His gift and turned it against His children. They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones. They shall find no rest in this world or beyond."_

"Yeah, yeah. I know the Chant," Varric grumbled. Though he didn't. Not really. "How does that translate to 'press on the wall'?"

Eleana shrugged. "Anders told me to write it there, said that it was funny. He has a weird sense of humor." That same little grin tugged at her lips. "Fenris got it, though."

"Fenris got it, though," Varric mimicked, his voice thick and mocking.

"Real mature, Varric. Jealous much?"

"I saved your sister, Sassy. You be respectful. Go on, boys. Take them back. You good, Bethany?"

The girl nodded, though she looked anything but. Meekly, she allowed the officers to lead her out along with the other two women.

"Send it up, Varric." The chief climbed onto the platform.

"You got it." Varric threw his weight against the wall, then sprinted toward the platform and jumped on with her before it rose too high. "Hope you don't mind," he panted. "I'm writing a book. This is too good to miss."

But when the platform had risen all the way into the ceiling, there was nothing to be found. No tunnel, no clues or hints about where they might have gone...nothing but a five-by-five room with a screen and a microphone on one wall. Varric and the chief searched the room for over an hour, with no luck. For all and intents and purposes, the elf and the mage had simply vanished.

Eventually the chief slid down one wall to sit on her rump, her elbows on her knees and her fists balled against her cheeks.

"You look like a puppy whose bone got taken away," Varric commented as he sat beside her. "Disappointed?"

She shook her head, her eyes bewildered. "It makes no sense," she muttered. "Where are they? There's nothing here!"

Varric chuckled, his head tipping back to rest against the wall. "Yeah."

"What do we do, Varric?"

He regarded her, a touch surprised she would ask him. "We go back to the station. You take statements from Merrill, Eleana and Bethany. And then we wait for Fenris to show up. Who knows, maybe he'll have Anders with him."

"I suppose you're just used to this?" she asked. "Never quite understanding how he does these things? And you don't get frustrated?"

"Oh I get frustrated," Varric told her. "But...see, I'm a writer, and this isn't my part of the story. I've just learned to trust that I'll get to hear the rest when I see Fenris."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The platform had barely locked itself into place when Anders pressed his hand to the wall, his eyes flashing white as he mumbled to himself.

It was the least elegant solution, but Fenris jumped, driving his shoulder into Anders' sternum and knocking the two of them _through_ the wall. It dematerialized around them, sending them sprawling into a hewn rock tunnel. _More magic_, Fenris thought, his blood simmering. Seeing Eleana shoved from the platform had been the last straw. Anders was through. It would take a mere moment, and the mage's heart would be crushed in his fist. No one would be hurt by this maniac ever again.

So simple. So crude...yet so full of justice. Fenris raised one hand, summoning the magic that would let him plunge seamlessly into Anders' chest.

"I wouldn't," Anders gasped.

Fenris' lips peeled back as he snarled, lost to his rage.

"Kill me, and the city will blow."

"How?" It was enough to buy the mage a few more pathetic seconds. But not enough to save him.

Anders licked his lips, his eyes trained on Fenris' hand. "There's a paper in a vault just around that corner. Listed on it are the locations of three dozen live bombs. They're scattered throughout the city." Anders quirked a grin, one eyebrow rising in challenge. "You'd better hurry."

"I can still kill you, and then go open the vault." Before the mage could protest, Fenris' hand shot forward, phasing through cloth and skin alike. He could feel the heart in his hand, could squeeze it...

"Kill me and you'll never get the vault open," Anders gasped. His head tipped backward, a moan of agony lifting from his throat.

Fenris froze, his fury growing. "What?"

"I need to open it. It's keyed - to me." Anders took a long, slow breath. "That really hurts."

"Good." Fenris squeezed, just a little. "Let's go open the vault, shall we?"

"It takes. Two people." Anders panted for breath, his eyes squeezing shut. "For Maker's sake-"

"_We have two people_." Fenris eased his grip just a bit. "Talk faster. I grow tired of your whining."

"You at the vault door. Me over there." Anders' eyes rolled toward one end of the tunnel, opposite the vault. "I have to activate it from there. And then someone has to push open the door at the same time. You. You have to push it open. That, or the city goes up in smoke."

Fenris' mind flipped through his options. There were none. Anders would get away. He would activate the door and run, while Fenris was disabling the bombs. Save the city, or kill the villain. There was no way to have both.

"Tick tock, Fenris," Anders whispered.

He was so close. So close! And now, this?

"Maker damn your blighted soul," Fenris whispered. The glow from his hand as he withdrew it was almost as bright as the flash of the mage's abominable eyes.

Anders drew a shuddering breath, his body going limp as the pain receded. From his wrist came a beeping. "Right on time," he murmured, glancing at his watch. "The first bomb is set to go off in ten minutes. They're cascading; ten minutes for each. You'll have to do them in order. But the list is complete. I have utter faith in your ability to save Kirkwall."

"You want me to thank you? Stop talking and open the door." Fenris stood, struggling to control his urge to howl at the inequity of it. "I will come for you, Anders. There is nowhere you can hide."

"I suppose that remains to be seen." Anders gave him a wry smile, then stuck out his hand. "I look forward to killing you in the future. You're a worthy opponent, Fenris. I may be a criminal, but I'm not unreasonable."

"_Open the Maker-damned door_," Fenris growled. Ignoring Anders' hand, he marched off down the tunnel.

* * *

"He's all over the city," Chief Vallen said. She pointed to her computer. "Look at his route. He's here in Kirkwall, he hasn't left - but what is he doing?"

Varric frowned at the screen. They'd only just gotten back to the station, and the chief's first action had been to find their elusive elf. Fenris' every move had been tracked by the ankle monitor, and it painted a crazy network of lines that ranged all over Kirkwall. "Any ideas, Sassy?"

From the cell, Eleana shook her head, her eyes pinched. "He's still alive, though. That's a good thing. Maybe he's chasing Anders?"

"Anders got away," the little elf chirped. Her right eye was puffed and bruised, her nose swollen like a cabbage. "And he'll come back for me. You watch."

"Shut up, Merrill," Eleana snapped.

"I'll go out after him." The chief stood. "Cullen can come with me, just in case."

"I don't think you'll need to, chief. Look." Varric pointed, his worry fading as he watched Fenris' monitor trace a line back toward the station. "He's headed here."

A few minutes later, Fenris stalked through the door, escorted by Officers Cullen and Donnic. It was still raining, and the proof of it dripped from Fenris' overcoat. The question 'where ya been' was on the tip of Varric's tongue, but the expression on Fenris' face was enough to shut him up real quick. _He didn't get Anders,_ Varric thought.

"Unlock this." Fenris hoisted his foot onto a chair, lifting his pant leg to reveal the ankle monitor. "Now."

"Easy," Chief Vallen warned. She fished a key from her belt and slipped it into the lock, freeing Fenris from his electronic bonds. "What happened? Where is Anders?"

"Anders is gone. He got away." From the pocket of his overcoat, Fenris brought out a small metal doohickey and dropped it on the chief's desk. "Do you know what that is?"

"That's a thermobaric incendiary device," Eleana said. She'd gone pale as a ghost. "Fenris, where did you get that?"

He shot her a wry look. "This one was planted in the ceiling above Anders' hideout. Thirty-five others were squirrelled into locations all over Kirkwall. I've spent the last ninety minutes disarming them all. You're welcome."

"Maker," Eleana murmured. "I - I didn't know-"

"What didn't you know?" The chief swung around, her face stony.

Eleana took a long breath, her eyes going to Fenris. "Anders hired me about a month ago. Said he needed someone with special abilities... Well, in the Red Iron, I learned a lot about bombs. I'm good with mechanical stuff, it's just what I've always liked. So, Anders asked me if I could design a thermobaric explosive."

"Back up," Varric interrupted. "Thermobaric? What's that?"

"Dangerous," Eleana said coolly. "It uses air to create a super-intense, fiery explosion. Most effective in small, confined spaces."

"Air? Like, the stuff we're breathing? Shit." Varric shook his head. "Go on. Anders asked you to make him one of these death machines."

"Not make. Design." Her eyes scanned the room, her brows drawing together as her shoulders slumped. "He said it was a test, that was all," she said in a dejected tone. "That if I could do it, it would prove my intelligence. All I did was draw up the plans, show them to him, and then I got rid of them." Her voice had gotten very small.

"You 'got rid of' them." Chief Vallen crossed her arms. "Yet this is your design. You're certain of it?"

She nodded, looking dismal. "I don't know how he got the plans. They never left my possession; I drew them up, showed him, and burned them...but yeah, it's mine. See the chamber? It's specially shaped to promote the flow of the fuel. A slow release - he said he wanted a boom, I gave it to him. He had my sister," she flared. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Not design a bomb that could destroy a city," the Chief snapped.

Eleana sank down on the bench within the cell, her face dropping into her hands.

Varric's eyes flew to Fenris, wondering what his reaction to this would be. But the detective's face was like marble. Cold.

"Come on, Varric. Chief Vallen? I assume you're finished with us?" Fenris asked.

"No, actually. I need a statement." The chief motioned for them to follow. "I promise we'll make this quick, but procedure demands it."

It was another hour before Varric and Fenris left the station, their accounts recorded for posterity. Varric was stunned by his friend's report of what had gone down with Anders. Fenris clearly was roiling on the inside, his movements quick and jerky as they walked down the road in the pouring rain.

"We just leaving Eleana in there?"

"Have you got enough for bail?" Fenris asked dryly.

"Oh. Right." The rain was coming down in sheets. Varric squinted at the sky. "You could put up your umbrella, maybe," he suggested.

Fenris made no answer, only shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. Already his white hair was dripping, the water streaming down his cheeks and over the bridge of his long nose.

"Spill it, broody. What's eating you?"

Fenris sighed, his head dropping. "Eleana _designed_ those bombs. They almost took out Kirkwall. And I had to let Anders get away in order to make sure no one else died tonight." He was quiet for a moment. "I don't know how to feel about that. She's caused an awful lot of mayhem."

"But she also confessed to it. She didn't know what she was doing. You said it yourself - she was desperate. Felt like she was outta options. You gonna condemn a person for that?"

Fenris said nothing, the sound of the rain on the sidewalk Varric's only answer for a time. "There's still one thing I don't know," he said at last. "Clearly, Eleana has the resources to design a bomb. So who gave me the jewel? Eleana, or Anders?"

Varric whistled.

"I've thought of little else since seeing Bethany," Fenris went on. "The fact that Anders took her hostage means Eleana was ready to do anything to save her. 'You promised,' she said to Anders. Remember?"

"After he pushed her. Yeah. 'You swore she'd be safe.' So Anders had Bethany as insurance that Eleana would follow his rules." Varric sighed and turned up his collar, then buttoned his overcoat up to the neck. "I'll open a bottle of Aggregio when we get back."

* * *

The violin was a beautiful mistress.

Fenris closed his eyes as he played, giving himself over to the sweetness of the instrument's voice. He needed the catharsis.

As soon as they'd gotten home, Varric had begun scouring the house for cash for Eleana's bail. Now the dwarf stomped into Fenris' office, his footsteps likely waking the neighbors. "What happened to the thousand Eleana gave us?"

"It's Eleana's," Fenris replied shortly. "I intend to give it back to her."

"Don't you think she'd be okay with us using it to get her out of jail?"

Keeping his eyes closed, Fenris drew the bow across the strings, producing a tremulous note.

"_When_ are you giving it back to her?" Varric's voice came from the doorway. "If she's carted off to prison, she probably won't be needing it for Big Macs. Sooner would be better."

Clearly, Varric did not intend to leave him be. Pressing his lips together, Fenris opened his eyes, laid the instrument back in its case and loosened the bowstrings. "I don't know where to take it."

"Seriously? You're not taking it back because you don't know her address?" Varric began to laugh. "Broody, tell the truth. You could probably figure out where the Hawke residence is just by sniffing the ground."

"Are you calling me a dog?" Fenris asked, his tone both wry and joking. He wasn't offended.

"A wolf, maybe." Varric clumped into the room. "Come on, Fenris. What's the problem? You like her, she likes you. Go get her outta jail."

"And what if she's still working for Anders? I bail her out, and she runs right back to him. Then I'm twice the fool. Thank you, no."

"He _hired her_, Broody. That was it. You heard her confession."

"Words from a liar. Hardly trustworthy." Fenris stood, reaching for his coat and umbrella. "But since you won't let me be, I'll go sniff out the Hawke residence and return the cash to them. They can bail her out or send Bethany back to school with it, as they please. It isn't up to me."

"Want me to come?"

"Not in the slightest." Fenris was out the door before Varric could follow.

He should have gone straight to Lowtown. Should have taken the shortest route, dropped off the money and been home before the drunks left the bars after last call. It was never smart to be a lone elf in Lowtown in the middle of the night.

Not that he was really worried. But he doubted Chief Vallen would appreciate his involvement in another altercation before the evening was out.

The umbrella rested on his shoulder, its handle crooked against his neck as the rain sluiced all around him. It was a cold, misty night, the sort of evening one reads about in old English mysteries. A touch of fog obscured the city, turning it into a skilled artist's dreamy rendering. Fenris wandered over the Hightown bridge, adjusting his scarf a bit closer around his neck. He leaned on the bridge's stone railing, staring moodily down over Kirkwall.

"They'll never know how close they came to dying," a voice said behind him.

Shock filtered through him. He turned his head, lost for words.

"Has this sort of thing happened before?" Eleana eased up next to him, her hair dripping as she leaned casually on the bridge's railing. "You going up against Anders, saving us all, and no one knowing the first thing about it?"

"Here." Fenris handed her the umbrella, then unbuttoned his coat and draped it around her shoulders. "You're soaked through."

She shrugged, though she nestled herself into the jacket with a grateful look. "Not the first time I've been cold and wet."

"But it's the first time around me," he chided her. The scarf came next, coiled around her neck with utmost care. "Red is a good color on you," he said when he'd finished. "You should keep that."

Her cheeks went pink, a sparkle touching her sapphire eyes. Those eyes canted downward, finding the road beneath their feet. "Shall we walk?"

"Going home?" He took the umbrella from her hand, holding it over both of them as they strolled. "You're out of jail."

"I am." She offered him half a grin. "Bethany showed up with bail. After we left you frozen in the manor house, I managed to get home and drop off the gold we got out of the safe."

Fenris nodded. One mystery cleared up. "Here." From his pocket he fished a folded stack of twenties and hundreds. "Your money."

She began to laugh. "I'm pretty sure that's yours."

"I didn't exactly keep you safe," he jibed. "Besides, doesn't Bethany owe White Spire for back tuition?"

Eleana shook her head, her brows crinkling. "Bethany graduated last month... How did you know about White Spire?"

"Public records. So..." Fenris frowned, trying to make sense of the evening. "I could make educated guesses all night, but believe it not, most of my intel comes from research and a photographic memory. Fill me in? What's the whole story, Eleana?"

She smirked, her eyes gleaming. "You mean, the mud on my shoes doesn't tell you everything you need to know?"

Fenris huffed a laugh. "If you'd like, I can tell you what my theory is for why you went to work for Anders. But I have a feeling I'm wrong."

She slid him a sidelong glance. "Bethy graduated a month ago. Before that, she was tutoring rich brats in Orlais to pay White Spire, since there were no more checks coming from home. I've been looking for work ever since I got out of prison, but the system isn't kind to ex-felons. And with the recession, no one local is hiring. I had an offer for tech support in Seheron, but Mother doesn't want to leave Kirkwall." Her voice got softer, touched with sentiment. "I wasn't lying about the house. It really was ours, and she really does want to buy it back."

Fenris nodded.

"Anyway, last month, we went to Orlais to bring Beth home. But she got in a car with one of Anders' men. Don't ask me why," Eleana sighed. "She claims he had a sign that said her name, and she thought we'd hired a driver for her. She's sweet, and she's really smart, but she isn't very street wise.

"So then we get the ransom call. He's got her, and he makes us an offer. 'Come work for me,' he says. 'Both of you. I can pay more than you'll make anywhere else.' I refused. I'd heard about him; he's infamous in Kirkwall. And I was done with that life... The Red Iron killed my brother. I didn't want to see a crime lord take my little sister, too."

"But you did end up working for him," Fenris commented.

"One job," Eleana said in a hard voice. "That was our deal. He wanted one job out of me, and he'd guarantee Bethany's safety. Even Mother thought it was a good deal, when she heard Anders' offer."

"The contents of the safe," Fenris realized. "And here I thought you'd gone to him asking for the money to pay for Bethany's schooling. But - he offered you your own money? It was yours all along."

"But we couldn't get it," Eleana pointed out. "The house belonged to Anders, and so did everything in it. Uncle Gamlen sold the whole lot out from under us. I tried to sneak in once, and got my ribs fractured for my efforts. That was a terrible two months of healing. Never fuck with your ribs."

Fenris gave a ghost of a smile, recalling an agonizing time when he'd lain broken upon a mage's operating table. "Noted."

"Anders didn't give me too many details about the actual job," she went on. "He had me design the bombs, rig some showy electronic toys for his home base. The cameras, the screens, the platform. When it came to today, though, when it was time to bring you in..." She shook her head, looking faintly amused. "He wanted Bethany to do it. I was the brains, she was the face. But I wouldn't let her. There isn't a deceptive bone in her body, you'd have seen right through her."

"I saw right through you," Fenris couldn't help pointing out.

One corner of her mouth rose in challenge. "Did you?"

"Beautiful woman asking me to be her bodyguard?" Fenris snorted. "There are goons you can hire for far less than you offered. The stink of a trap was all over your proposition."

She turned her face toward the ground, one hand rising to tuck her damp hair behind her ear. An ear that had turned quite pink. "Anders told me what to do, what to say. He gave me the cash to give you."

Fenris nodded. "In that case, I'll keep it. He owes me for an evening of trouble. Though I'd prefer to see him behind bars." He tucked the bills back into his pocket. The rain had slacked off, and so he closed the umbrella and hooked it over his wrist. So much to consider. Not at all what he had expected. He'd let his assumptions get the better of him, and it had colored his perceptions of her.

Eleana's breath made white plumes in the moonlit air. "It's this way," she said quietly, indicating a time-worn set of stairs that headed into Lowtown. She shrugged out of his jacket and held it out. "I can make it from here. You probably want to get home."

Fenris ignored her offering. "Are they waiting for you?"

She paused. "My mother and Beth? ...they're probably in bed."

"I am happy to walk you home, if that's where you want to go. But..." Fenris took a hesitant step closer. "There is a bottle of wine back at my place that I would be more than happy to open."

She surveyed him for a moment, then before he could react, she stepped into his arms and pressed her mouth to his.

Fenris reeled, his senses overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught. Her body meshed close, the feel of it not unlike the molten magic he so hated...but this was no excruciating inferno. Sweet. Inviting. A delicious heat that began at his core and spiraled outward, driven by the rush of his desire. She was a miracle made flesh, the answer to his unspoken prayers. He kissed her back, their lips hungry for each other. Eleana's fingers tugged through his hair, his arms winding her tight and close.

Their breath came quick for a moment after, when noses and foreheads touched but lips had parted. "You planted something on me earlier when you kissed me," she whispered.

He nodded, feeling a twinge of shame. "It's how I tracked you to Anders."

"I had to know," she went on. "But it's true, isn't it? It's all true."

She'd said almost the same words in his office that very afternoon. He held his breath, wondering what she would say next.

"Fenris, the first moment I saw you, I... Look, I had to know," she said again. "I had to kiss you now. I had to see if you reacted. Earlier, you kissed me because it was a means to an end. You spun my head with that kiss - and then, it was just a ruse. Just something you did to solve this whole thing. My heart broke when I realized I was just another obstacle, not something you could actually care for. But you do care. Don't you."

He closed his eyes, attempting to organize his whirling thoughts. "I care," he murmured at last.

She gave a short, breathy laugh. "Are we insane? Do you feel this, too?"

"I feel it." His mouth found hers again. Less talk was needed right at this moment.

A broken sigh lifted from Eleana as she melted into him. "Maker's breath," she whispered when they separated once more.

"Now answer me a question," he said, then realized it wasn't really a question he had for her. Hesitating, he picked up his coat from where it had slipped to the ground and settled it over her shoulders once more. His hands found the edges of her waist, easing her close to him. "Tell me about the jewel you handed me."

She winced. "Where did it go off?"

"The Darktown sewers, about thirty seconds after it began vibrating in my pocket."

Her eyes closed as she sighed with relief. "Anders told me to give you the jewel. But it looked strange to me... I took it apart yesterday, realized it was an explosive. So I rigged it up with the buzzer and the LED's, replaced most of the fuel with harmless filler, and then put it all back together. He expected me to hand it to you, and I couldn't just disable it. He'd have known. Was anyone hurt?"

Amazement rippled through him. "No. Where did you learn to do all of that?"

She giggled. "What, like it's hard?"

A full-blown laugh spilled from his throat as he dipped in to kiss her once more.

"And a question for you," she said when he'd released her. "How did you get out of the noose?"

He chuckled, then took her hand and held it up. Closing his eyes, he summoned the lyrium to the surface of his skin. Eleana gasped as his fingers phased through hers. "A talent the Tevinter mages forced upon me," he said. "Anders didn't tell you about my little ability?"

She shook her head, her eyes filled with fascination. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes." He took her hand again, holding it gently as he cooled the volcano that ran in his bloodstream. "But it's handy when someone tries to tie me up."

She began to laugh, an amazed, incredulous sound. Her lissome body was joy itself as she cuddled into his embrace, her head nestling perfectly into the crook of his shoulder. Fenris closed his eyes, treasuring her nearness.

Anders was still out there. Eleana would still face trial for her involvement in the city's troubles, but Fenris' mind was already formulating ways to finagle the best possible outcome. He couldn't help but admire her grit. Life had dumped misfortune in her lap, but she'd fought back, keeping herself afloat even in the choppiest water.

This gorgeous, wild, brilliant woman was unlike anyone he'd ever met. For some reason, she'd chosen _him_... a quandary he would never be able to solve. She was more than worth fighting for. Life was always a mystery, but one thing was for certain... If he had his way, he would never let her go.

* * *

_A/N: This is the final chapter! If you've been following from the beginning, and you still bothered to come back and read after all this time, I can't thank you enough for your patience as I wrote this story. It took *far* too long to complete, but it was extremely important to me to see it through. _

_E__kocentric is a fantastic muse, and her patience through my process was nothing short of amazing. So much love to you, my dear friend! Thank you for all of your amazing artwork. You inspire me. :-D (If you still haven't looked her up on DeviantArt, do so. Scenes that are currently illustrated (that I lifted and placed into this story) include Fenris on the bridge with his umbrella, Fenris and Varric playing cards at the Hanged Man, Fenris playing the violin, and Fenris and Eleana as she whispers the line "Go on, impress a girl.")_

_I seem to be moving away from fanfiction. I still write, but much of what I do is original now. If you are at all interested in following my career, PM me and I will be happy to give you details for my author Twitter and Facebook. :-) _

_For now, I hope you will leave me a review! Thank you so much for reading! _


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